A Man Called Ove tells a story of a grumpy old man called Ove.
He gets into an argument with the cashier of a flower shop.
It happened just because of a discount issue, which is actually not much.
But he doesn't care.
For him, a discount is still a discount,
no matter if the discount applies under certain conditions.
Ove is a man who upholds discipline.
He cannot tolerate his neighbor doing something he thinks is wrong or inappropriate.
In particular,
he doesn't like it when people drive cars across his neighborhood.
The rules already stipulate that cars are prohibited from entering his neighborhood,
and everyone should obey those rules.
So, in other words,
Ove demands that everyone live and behave according to his ideals.
Otherwise,
he will become irritated and angry.
Even cats and dogs have to behave according to his standards.
In his daily life, Ove lives alone in his house because the wife he loves dearly,
Sonja, died six months earlier.
He misses her very much,
so he regularly visits her grave and tells her about his daily life,
even though she can't hear him.
In his old age,
Ove is still working hard.
But his bosses thought it was time he quit.
And so, one day,
they called him to their room, firing him.
As a parting gift, they gave him a gardening shovel.
His firing made him sad because, after all, what else did he have to do in his old age.
That's why Ove decided to put on a suit
and hang himself at his house so he could reunite with Sonja.
But his plan was ruined by the arrival of a family who moved across his house.
The family consists of Patrick, his wife, an immigrant from Iran,
Parvaneh, and their two children, arriving in a car, which irritates Ove.
So, he gave up his intention to end his life
But in the end, he ended up helping the family park their car.
The next day, after visiting Sonja's dining room, Ove again tries to kill himself.
But again, his attempt was interrupted by Parvaneh and Patrick,
who had come to thank him for his help yesterday.
They gave him a gift of Persian cuisine made by Parvaneh.
In the middle of their conversation,
an old woman approaches Ove and asks him to fix the heater in her house.
The woman, Anita, is the wife of neighborhood association chairman Rune,
who is now paralyzed after a stroke.
But apparently, before he became chairman of the neighborhood association,
Ove held that position.
And he felt that Rune had overthrown his position,
causing him to hate Rune until now.
So, when Anita asked Ove to fix her heater, he immediately refused.
But Anita keeps asking for his help repeatedly and even mentions Sonja in front of him.
Ove doesn't like people mentioning his wife's name, so he angrily orders her,
Parvaneh, and Patrick to leave his yard.
Then he goes back into his house.
As soon as Ove entered his house, he saw an old photo of Sonja,
bringing back memories of his late wife.
He missed her so much, so he continue his attempt to end his life.
But, as people say, when people are on the verge of death,
they will remember the past.
So does Ove, who is currently having flashbacks about his childhood.
It turns out that Ove's mother died when he was a child, leaving him alone with his quiet father,
a mechanic for a railroad company.
Although quiet, his father always talks a lot when he discusses engines with him,
and that's why he knows a lot about engines.
His father never hugged him.
But that changes one day when Ove visits his father at work after school.
At that time, he was walking on the tracks,
unaware that a train was moving behind him.
His father keeps warning him until he finally notices the train.
He then dodged to the side, and his father, grateful that Ove was safe,
rushed over and hugged him tightly. And that was the first time his father hugged him. He was so
happy that his father hugged him that he didn't want to let go of his father until they got home.
Since then, Ove has grown closer to his father and has learned many life lessons from him.
Then, a few years passed, and Ove became a smart man. He even graduated as a railroad inspector
with very good grades. Of course, he showed the exam results to his father, who immediately
showed the paper results to his colleagues. In fact, he was so happy that he failed to notice
the train coming. As a result, the train crashes into him, and he dies right before Ove's eyes.
After his father's funeral, Ove is called by his father's superiors, who then give him his
father's watch and the exam papers his father was holding at the time of his death. Not only that,
but he said that Ove was officially accepted as a trained supervisor. Even so, Ove's life has been
getting tougher since his father's death. One day, people from the local council, whom he calls the
people in white shirts, come to his house and tell Ove that his house must be demolished. But
because he refuses and instead renovates it, the white-shirted men choose another tactic:
they set his house on fire. And it was from this that Ove's hatred of people in white shirts grew.
Having no home anymore, Ove sleeps in one of the train cars. And, perhaps from exhaustion, he awoke
as the train was already running. But maybe this was fate because it was at this time that he first
met his future wife, Sonja, who happened to be on the train. He immediately fell in love with her at
first sight. He liked her smile, friendliness, kindness, and charm. He loves everything about
her. Therefore, for him to meet Sonja again, Ove purposely takes the same train every morning for
three weeks. He finally met her again after three weeks of riding the same train every day. But he
feels embarrassed if he admits that he purposely boarded the train to meet her. So, he chose to
lie, admitting that he would join the military service. When they first met, Sonja had lent
him money to buy a train ticket because, after all that time, Ove had accidentally boarded the train
and had not bought a ticket beforehand. So, this time, he took the opportunity to return the money
she had lent him. But instead of accepting it, she asks him to ask her out for dinner.
Apparently, it's not just Ove who is fascinated by Sonja. It also happens the other way around.
And so, a few days later, Ove and Sonja had dinner at a fancy restaurant.
But this was his first time dating a woman, and he was clearly very nervous. He even tried to bring
up the topic of car engines and his love for Saab cars. Luckily, Sonja's father loved cars,
so at least she knew about cars and engines. But then, she realized Ove hadn't ordered any food,
so Sonja asked him directly why he wasn't eating. Feeling he can no longer lie, he decides to tell
the truth. Before coming to the restaurant, he ate so she could order whatever she wanted. He had no
money, and he didn't even have a house. And most of all, he had no plans to join the military. He's
just a train cleaner. After saying all that, Ove got up to leave with embarrassment on his face.
But just as he stood up, Sonja suddenly kissed him. She knew he was nothing now, but she was sure
she could help him improve his life. Since then, they've been dating, and Sonja tries to find out
what Ove's interests and strengths are. Since he answered that his interest was in housing,
she suggested he take a course, and two years later, he officially became an engineer.
Moreover, the day Ove gets his diploma, he musters up the courage to propose to Sonja,
which she gladly accepts. In the present, Ove's attempt to end his life ends in failure because
the rope is broken. And when he tried again, this time with carbon monoxide poisoning,
Parvaneh interrupted him because she needed a ride to the hospital. It turned out that Patrick
had an accident. And so, Ove reluctantly takes Parvaneh and his two daughters,
Sepideh and Nasanin, to the hospital. Then, while Parvaneh visits Patrick in his room,
Ove is asked to look after Sepideh and Nasanin. He was a kind man, as shown by how he tried to read
books to them. In most cases, he doesn't know how to show it directly or is too proud to show it.
And his kindness paid off after they got home from the hospital. Sepideh and Nasanin thanked him by
hugging him and giving him their drawing, in which they drew Ove. He decided to keep a stray cat that
had always bothered him because of Parvaneh's suggestion. And even better, Ove confessed in
front of his wife's grave that ending his life was difficult. Therefore, he asked her to wait for him
because he had decided to continue his life. Then, one day, Parvaneh asks Ove to teach her to drive
a car. Of course, at first, he refused, though eventually, he relented and agreed to teach her.
Long story short, Parvaneh starts learning to drive with Ove, and after that, he brings her over
to eat at Sonja's favorite pastry shop when she was alive. There, they chatted about cars, which
reminded him of his former best friend, Rune. So, when Ove and Sonja just moved into their current
home, the first friend he made in the neighborhood was Rune, a man who values ??discipline,
just like him. They work hand in hand to enforce law and order in their neighborhood, including
putting signs and chasing down drivers who dare to break through residential roads. Because of their
nature, the residents chose Ove as chairman of the neighborhood association and Rune as his deputy.
But over time, their relationship became strained, mainly due to differences in their favorite cars:
he preferred Saab cars, while Rune chose Volvo. Their friendship eventually crumbled after Rune
bought a BMW car and coup his position as chairman of the neighborhood association. At least, that's
what Ove thinks because the residents actually removed him from his position and appointed Rune
as the new chairman. After returning from their driving lessons, Parvaneh expressed her intention
to take the driving test to get a driver's license. But the problem was that if she did that,
there would be no one to look after her daughters. Therefore, she asks Ove to watch over them while
she and Patrick are away, even though Patrick is reluctant to leave them with the grumpy Ove. But
Ove proves Patrick's doubts completely unfounded. He can take good care of them and even play with
them. Day by day, Ove and Parvaneh's relationship is getting closer. They even look like father and
daughter. They joke with each other, and he laughs in front of her for the first time.
And perhaps because she felt him had opened her heart to her, she suggested that he move on from
Sonja, to which he responded angrily. He still couldn't accept someone asking him to forget
Sonja. And his anger escalated when Ove saw a car driving in the neighborhood. He stopped the car,
which turned out to be carrying two men in white who had been trying to force Rune into a nursing
home. And to make matters worse, one of the men knows about his past and deliberately mentions
Sonja. Overwhelmed with anger, Ove enters his house, where he cries, thinking about Sonja.
A brief flashback shows that Sonja told Ove she was pregnant a few years after their marriage.
He kept a straight face when he heard the news, although inside, he was very happy,
so happy he immediately intended to make a crib for the baby. Back in the present time,
it turns out that Ove still keeps the crib in his attic. But, where's the baby? Why is Ove
now living alone without a child to accompany him? The next day, Ove finally told Parvaneh about it.
So, before she gives birth, Sonja wants to go on vacation, and Ove agrees. They choose Spain as
their vacation destination and spend their time there having a lot of fun. But unfortunately, on
their way home, the bus they were traveling in had an accident. They survive the accident, but she
loses her baby and can no longer walk. She had to rely on a wheelchair, which meant she had a hard
time getting a job as a teacher. No school was willing to accept her because of her disability;
at that time, the schools did not provide wheelchair ramps. Knowing this, Ove repeatedly
pleaded with local authorities to build wheelchair ramps in schools, but they ignored his pleas. So,
realizing that it was pointless if he asked for authority, Ove built wheelchair ramps on his own
at school. The next day, Sonja started teaching at the school. During her tenure as a teacher there,
Sonja always treated all her students well. Even if they were a problem student.
One year since the student had been taught by her, Sonja had turned the boy into a student capable of
reciting ancient poetry. She knew she would never have children, and because of that, she devoted
all her love to her students, whom she considered her own children. But sadly, six months ago,
that good teacher died of cancer. And Ove promised to follow her soon. That's why he repeatedly
tried to end his life. Parvaneh listens to Ove silently, and so does when he finishes his story.
She just held his hand and smiled reassuringly. And apparently, that's exactly what he needs right
now. But a few days later, when Ove walks to his house, he collapses from a heart problem. Parvaneh
took him to the hospital using an ambulance, where the doctor diagnosed him with a heart defect.
His heart swelled, but he would survive regardless. Hearing that, she laughs and says
that he sucks at dying. But just as she said that, Parvaneh had contractions, and then she gave birth
in the same hospital. This time she was blessed with a baby boy. Some time passed, and finally,
Ove recovered and was discharged from the hospital. He looked fit and even attended a party
at Parvaneh's house, where he later presented the baby with a crib he had made a long time ago.
But not only the baby, but he gave gifts to Sepideh and Nasanin, who now call him grandpa.
Now, there is absolutely no desire in Ove to end his life. He seems to be enjoying life again. He
drove with Parvaneh's daughter in his favorite Saab with a cheerful smile. He had daughters
and grandchildren that he would never have had if he had ended his life. A few months later,
winter has come. But when Parvaneh wakes up one morning and sees that the snow in front of Ove's
house has not been cleaned, she immediately senses something is wrong. Ove is very disciplined. He
always got up early and would immediately clean up if he saw snow piled up in front of his house. And
so, she woke Patrick up, and they both ran to Ove's house. Their fear turned out to be true.
Ove had died in his bed peacefully as he slept. But as if sensing that his life would be short,
he wrote Parvaneh a letter before he died. In the letter, Ove gave instructions for his funeral to
be done quietly and attended only by those closest to him, which were his neighbors. In addition, he
gives instructions on how to take care of his cat. The cat does not like to be seen when it urinates.
At the film's end, Ove is seen waking up on the train where he first meets Sonja.
It turned out that she had been waiting for him. The moral that can be learned from this movie is
that life is beautiful, too beautiful to waste it by ending our life. If Ove ends his life at the
movie's beginning, he will die a miserable, lonely man. But luckily, he always gets distracted before
he kills himself, and as a result, he gets to meet Parvaneh's family. He turned into a better person,
a person who can appreciate life. Just to let you know, if you haven't seen it, this movie
is really good. It's a shame if you only listen to the summary of the story without ever watching it.
At least you have to watch it once in a lifetime to appreciate its beauty.